Newsletter Archive
Newsletter May 2009
From the Executive Director:
Our busy summer is about to begin, and camps and teacher workshops are filling up fast. There are still spaces in CSI/Game Development for middle school girls, July 20-31; and in InvenTech for 5th and 6th grade girls, August 10-21. We have added TWO NEW VIDEOCAMPS:
Tincan Film Challenge – Part Deux July 6-17
Tincan, in partnership with the Spokane Regional Health District, will hold a 2-week summer video challenge workshop for high school students. Teens will create videos on Responsible Sexual Behavior (i.e. abstinence, using condoms, monogamy, importance of STD testing etc), which will be submitted to the health district's video festival. Videos will be eligible for prizes. 1st place $1,000, 2nd place $700 and 3rd place is $500. Videos can be any genre (comedy, horror, documentary, etc.). This is a chance to learn the basics of video production, from camera work to editing while producing a dynamic video about an important subject. Ages 14-19 only. This camp is free, but you must register by contacting Elisha at 744-0972 or elisha@tincan.org.
Tincan Sci-Fi Video Camp August 10-14
It came from inside the museum… Tincan, in partnership with the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC), will hold a 5 Day science fiction video workshop for students ages 12-18. This workshop will use the MAC’s current “Out of This World” exhibit of costumes and props from great sci-fi films for inspiration. Learn the basics of video production, from camera work to editing, while producing a sci-fi video. The cost for this camp is $120; scholarships may be available if we can find an underwriter for the camp. Register online, or by calling 744-0972.
And as always, please consider donating to Tincan to help us continue our innovative programs.
Donate online now!
Karen L. Michaelson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
You’re Invited to a SubVERSive Video Showcase
 Tincan’s SubVERSive Poetry Project will show all six student-made films in a video showcase at the Magic Lantern Theatre on June 17th starting at 5:30pm. Over the past 8 months, groups of teens have worked with poets to create spoken words poems, which have been translated into often powerful films. Please come to watch short films from Crosswalk, Medicine Wheel Academy, Odyssey Youth, The Structured Alternative Confinement School, Alexandria’s House and Havermale High School and experience their stories of discrimination and prejudice.
The Contamination behind the Beauty
 Sacajawea Middle School’s Science Reporters set off to discover if there are dangerous contaminants lurking in the Coeur d’Alene Lake and Coeur d’Alene River. On a field trip as part of the National Science Foundation-funded “Science Journalism Pathways to STEM Careers” project, the Science Reporters met with Ed Moreen from the EPA to discuss the contaminants that are affecting wildlife in Coeur d’Alene Lake as well as the origination of those contaminants. After the girls’ orientation, Ed led the group on a tour of locations where the contaminants were originating.
First stop: the Cataldo Mission’s boat launch area. Here the girls were able to see first hand how deceiving the beautiful water can be on a hot spring day and had to be reminded of the levels of lead in the river.
 Onward to the Frisco Mill north of Wallace, ID. The mill was blown up in 1892 during the dispute between the company and the union miners. The destruction is still evident today and provided a great location for the girls to film footage and take pictures for their Science Reporters’ project.
The final destination was Burke, ID, and the Burke Mine, which is no longer in operation. Examples of the EPA’s efforts to clean up the contamination were evident with the new lawns in the homes surrounding these old mining sites. However the tailings, or the wastes from the mine, litter the landscape. This trip brought the girls’ previous research to life as they visited the locations that are impacting the purity of the Coeur d’Alene Lake. The Science Reporters will produce a short documentary video that focuses on this news story that is supported by solid scientific evidence from their research.
Music Gear Swap
 KYRS, a long-time partner of Tincan's, is hosting a Music Gear Swap June 20th from 10am to 5pm in the warehouse at 17 W. Main, right next door to Merlyn's. Sell your old guitars, mics, amps, recording equipment, drums...anything musical at the Music Gear Swap. Come on down, hear live music, support KYRS and the Center for Justice, and find great deals on everything musical. Admission is $5 and vendor tables are $20. For more information, or to reserve a vendor table, call the station at 747-3012.
WIBIT Showcase a Huge Success
 Students from 2 Spokane Valley middle schools gathered at the Spokane Valley YMCA on May 20th for the end-of-year showcase for WIBIT: Tincan’s Women In Biotechnology and Information Technology program, which is funded by a U.S. Department of Education Women’s Educational Equity Act grant. Three dozen girls from East Valley and Centennial Middle Schools celebrated a year of science and technology exploration among their family, friends, and community members. Students enjoyed viewing each other’s work, receiving their hard-earned WIBIT t-shirts, and sampling sodas.
The 6th and 7th grade WIBIT girls showed off the creativity of their “Biotech Soda” e-commerce projects by pouring samples from sodas they created, bottled, and labeled themselves. They also had their company websites and commercials on display.
At the WIBIT celebration, the 8th graders showcased their programming prowess. They spent this year programming mystery video games and had those available for play. Their time spent on forensic science experiments throughout the school year added a realistic component to the crime scene games.
WIBIT will continue this summer with a 2-week CSI/game development camp available to middle school girls. Register online at www.tincan.org or by calling 744-0972.
Student Spotlight
 Samantha Hardy is an eighth grader at East Valley Middle School who is part of the CSI WIBIT after school science club for girls. She has been involved in WIBIT for 3 years (2 in Biotech Soda and one in CSI). Samantha also volunteers with the 6th grade WIBIT Biotech Soda club at EVMS, lending her expertise to the younger students as well as providing an extra set of helping hands. This year she proved integral to recruitment for the 8th grade CSI group. Recently Sam showcased her crime scene video game at the WIBIT year-end celebration at the Valley YMCA. According to Samantha, her interest in WIBIT is due in part to her science-related career aspirations: she hopes to become a real crime scene investigator someday.
|
